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This book brings together everything you need to know for the Ielts Reading section, from the simplest to the most advanced grammar rule. Unlike most other test prep books, this one is truly geared towards the student aiming for the perfect score. It leaves no stones unturned. Useful for Ielts reading learners.
lOMoARcPSD|18352979 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 HƯỚNG DẪN SỬ DỤNG SÁCH ĐỐI TƯỢNG SỬ DỤNG SÁCH Nhìn chung bạn cần có mức độ từ vựng tương đương 5.5 trở lên (theo thang điểm IELTS), khơng gặp nhiều khó khăn việc sử dụng sách CÁC BƯỚC SỬ DỤNG CÁCH 1: LÀM TEST TRƯỚC, HỌC TỪ VỰNG SAU Bước 1: Bạn in sách Nên in bìa màu để có thêm động lực học Cuốn sách thiết kế cho việc đọc trực tiếp, cho việc đọc online nên bạn đọc online thấy bất tiện tra cứu, đối chiếu từ vựng Bước 2: Tìm mua Cambridge IELTS (Các từ 8-16) Nhà xuất Cambridge để làm Hãy cẩn thận đừng mua nhầm sách lậu Sách nhà xuất Cambridge tái Việt Nam thường có bìa giấy dày, chữ rõ nét Bước 3: Làm test passage sách Ví dụ passage 1, test Cambridge IELTS 13 Bước 4: Đối chiếu với sách này, bạn lọc từ vựng quan trọng cần học Ví dụ passage 1, test Cambridge IELTS 13, Tourism New Zealand Website: Bạn thấy 4.1 Cột bên trái text gốc, bơi đậm từ học thuật - academic word 4.2 Cột bên phải chứa từ vựng theo kèm định nghĩa (definition) từ đồng nghĩa (synonym) lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 CÁCH 2: HỌC TỪ VỰNG TRƯỚC, ĐỌC TEST SAU Bước 1: Bạn in sách Nên in bìa màu để có thêm động lực học Cuốn sách thiết kế cho việc đọc trực tiếp, cho việc đọc online nên bạn đọc online thấy bất tiện tra cứu, đối chiếu từ vựng Bước 2: Đọc cột bên trái đọc báo Duy trì hàng ngày Khi khơng hiểu từ xem nghĩa synonym từ cột bên phải Giai đoạn giúp bạn phát triển việc đọc tự nhiên, thay đọc theo kiểu làm test Bạn hiểu nhiều tốt Cố gắng nhớ từ theo ngữ cảnh Bước 3: Làm test passage sách Cambridge IELTS Ví dụ bạn đọc xong Boost your vocabulary 13 quay lại làm test 10 chẳng hạn Làm test xong cố gắng phát từ học 13 Bạn có khả ghi nhớ tốt chắn gặp lại nhiều từ học Bạn có khả ghi nhớ vừa phải gặp lại không từ Bước 4: Đọc Boost your vocabulary tương ứng với test bạn vừa làm Ví dụ Boost your vocabulary 10 Tóm lại, ví dụ chu trình đầy đủ theo cách B1 Đọc hiểu học từ Boost your vocabulary 13 B2 Làm test Boost your vocabulary 10 B3 Đọc hiểu học từ Boost your vocabulary 10 & tìm từ lặp lại mà bạn đọc Boost your vocabulary 13 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE In the first half of the 1800s, London's population grew at an astonishing rate, and the central area became increasingly congested In addition, the expansion of the overground railway network resulted in more and more passengers arriving in the capital However, in 1846, a Royal Commission decided that the railways should not be allowed to enter the City, the capital's historic and business centre The result was that the overground railway stations formed a ring around the City The area within consisted of poorly built, overcrowded slums and the streets were full of horsedrawn traffic Crossing the City became a nightmare It could take an hour and a half to travel km by horse-drawn carriage or bus Numerous schemes were proposed to resolve these problems, but few succeeded railway= a system of tracks that trains travel along astonishing= surprising, shocking, astounding congested= overcrowded, crammed, blocked expansion= extension, growth, enlargement station= a building and the surrounding area where buses or trains stop for people to get on or off ring= circle, loop, sphere slum= a very poor and crowded area, especially of a city horse-drawn= a horse-drawn vehicle is pulled by a horse carriage= a vehicle with four wheels that is usually pulled by horses and was used mainly in the past numerous= many, plentiful, various scheme= plan, method, idea propose= suggest, offer, recommend resolve= solve, sort out, settle lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 Amongst the most vocal advocates for a solution to London's traffic problems was Charles Pearson, who worked as a solicitor for the City of London He saw both social and economic advantages in building an underground railway that would link the overground railway stations together and clear London slums at the same time His idea was to relocate the poor workers who lived in the innercity slums to newly constructed suburbs, and to provide cheap rail travel for them to get to work Pearson's ideas gained support amongst some businessmen and in 1851 he submitted a plan to Parliament It was rejected, but coincided with a proposal from another group for an underground connecting line, which Parliament passed The two groups merged and established the Metropolitan Railway Company in August 1854 The company's plan was to construct an underground railway line from the Great Western Railway's (GWR) station at Paddington to the edge of the City at Farringdon Street - a distance of almost km The organisation had difficulty in raising the funding for such a radical and expensive scheme, not least because of the critical articles printed by the press Objectors argued that the tunnels would collapse under the weight of traffic overhead, buildings would be shaken and passengers would be poisoned by the emissions from the train engines However, Pearson and his partners persisted The GWR, aware that the new line would finally enable them to run trains into the heart of the City, invested almost £250,000 in the scheme Eventually, over a five-year period, £1m was raised The chosen route ran beneath existing main roads to minimise the expense of demolishing buildings Originally scheduled to be completed in 21 months, the construction of the underground line took three years It was built just below street level using a technique known as 'cut and cover' A trench about ten metres wide and six metres deep was dug, and the sides temporarily held up with timber beams Brick walls were then constructed, and finally a brick arch was added to create a tunnel A two-metre-deep layer of soil was laid on top of the tunnel and the road above rebuilt The Metropolitan line, which opened on 10 January 1863, was the world's first underground railway On its first day, almost 40,000 passengers were carried between Paddington and Farringdon, the journey taking about 18 minutes By the end of the Metropolitan's first year of operation, 9.5 million journeys had been made Even as the Metropolitan began operation, the first extensions to the line were being authorised; these were built over the next five vocal= outspoken, loud, forceful advocate= supporter, promoter, activist solicitor= a type of lawyer in Britain and Australia link= connect, join, bring together clear= tidy up, clear out, empty relocate= move, displace, change place inner-city= in the central part of a city where there are often problems because people are poor and there are few jobs and bad houses construct= build, make, create suburb= an area on the edge of a large town or city submit= present, offer, suggest parliament= the group of people who make the laws for their country reject= refuse, decline, deny coincide= happen together, overlap, match proposal= suggestion, request, offer line= a railway track pass= accept, permit, approve merge= combine, join together, team up radical= extreme, far-out, progressive critical= disapproving, fault-finding, unfavorable press = media, newspapers, journalists objector= opponent, skeptic, critic tunnel= a long passage under or through the ground collapse= breakdown, fall to pieces, fail poison= harm, infect, injure emission= exhaust fumes engine= machine, piece of equipment, mechanism persist= continue, carry on, stick with heart= center, core, middle eventually= finally, in the end, ultimately raise= to raise money is to succeed in getting it route= way, road, track expense= cost, payment, expenditure demolish= destroy, ruin, wreck schedule= arrange, plan, organize originally= firstly, in the beginning, initially trench= a narrow channel dug into the ground side= a flat outer surface of an object, especially one that is not the top, the bottom, the front, or the back temporarily= in the short term, briefly, provisionally beam= a long, thick piece of wood, metal, or concrete, especially used to support weight in a building or other structure timber= wood, logs, kindling arch= a structure, consisting of a curved top on two supports, that holds the weight of something above it carry= transport, bring, transfer extension= lengthening, expansion, increase authorise= approve, permit, give permission lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 years, reaching Moorgate in the east of London and Hammersmith in the west The original plan was to pull the trains with steam locomotives, using firebricks in the boilers to provide steam, but these engines were never introduced Instead, the line used specially designed locomotives that were fitted with water tanks in which steam could be condensed However, smoke and fumes remained a problem, even though ventilation shafts were added to the tunnels Despite the extension of the underground railway, by the 1880s, congestion on London's streets had become worse The problem was partly that the existing underground lines formed a circuit around the centre of London and extended to the suburbs, but did not cross the capital's centre The 'cut and cover' method of construction was not an option in this part of the capital The only alternative was to tunnel deep underground Although the technology to create these tunnels existed, steam locomotives could not be used in such a confined space It wasn't until the development of a reliable electric motor, and a means of transferring power from the generator to a moving train, that the world's first deep-level electric railway, the City & South London, became possible The line opened in 1890, and ran from the City to Stockwell, south of the River Thames The trains were made up of three carriages and driven by electric engines The carriages were narrow and had tiny windows just below the roof because it was thought that passengers would not want to look out at the tunnel walls The line was not without its problems, mainly caused by an unreliable power supply Although the City & South London Railway was a great technical achievement, it did not make a profit Then, in 1900, the Central London Railway, known as the 'Tuppenny Tube', began operation using new electric locomotives It was very popular and soon afterwards new railways and extensions were added to the growing tube network By 1907, the heart of today's Underground system was in place steam locomotive= a vehicle with an engine powered by steam, used for pulling trains firebrick= a type of brick that is not damaged by high temperatures boiler= a device that heats water introduce= begin, launch, start water tank= a large container for collecting and storing water condense= to change or make something change from a gas to a liquid or solid state fume= gas, smog, emission ventilation = air circulation, freshening, airing shaft= a long passage through a building or through the ground congestion= overcrowding, jamming, blocking circuit= route, path, track alternative= another possibility, substitute, replacement tunnel= dig, excavate, burrow confined= small, cramped, enclosed reliable= trustworthy, dependable, unfailing motor= a device that changes electricity or fuel into movement and makes a machine work means= way, method, measure generator= power producer carriage= any of the separate parts of a train in which the passengers sit technical= mechanical, industrial, scientific tube= London's underground train system in place=ready, ripe, primed lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE A Stadiums are among the oldest forms of urban architecture: vast stadiums where the public could watch sporting events were at the centre of western city life as far back as the ancient Greek and Roman Empires, well before the construction of the great medieval cathedrals and the grand 19th- and 20th-century railway stations which dominated urban skylines in later eras Today, however, stadiums are regarded with growing scepticism Construction costs can soar above £1 billion, and stadiums finished for major events such as the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup have notably fallen into disuse and disrepair But this need not be the case History shows that stadiums can drive urban development and adapt to the culture of every age Even today, architects and planners are finding new architecture= design, building, style vast= huge, enormous, massive empire= a group of countries ruled by a single person, government, or country construction= building, creation, development medieval= of or from the middle ages (= the period in the past from about 500 to 1500) cathedral= a very large, usually stone, building for christian worship grand= large, huge, massive station= depot, terminal, stop dominate= to be the largest or most noticeable part of something skyline= the shape of objects against the sky, esp buildings in a city regard= think, consider, deem scepticism= disbelief, doubt, uncertainty soar= rise, escalate, rocket major= most important, main, key notably= especially, particularly, remarkably fall into= to gradually get into a particular condition, especially to get into a bad condition (not) the case= (not) true drive= push, force, propel adapt= fit, modify, adjust age= period, time, era architect= designer, engineer, builder 10 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 ways to adapt the mono-functional sports arenas which became emblematic of modernisation during the 20th century B The amphitheatre* of Aries in southwest France, with a capacity of 25,000 spectators, is perhaps the best example of just how versatile stadiums can be Built by the Romans in 90 AD, it became a fortress with four towers after the fifth century, and was then transformed into a village containing more than 200 houses With the growing interest in conservation during the 19th century, it was converted back into an arena for the staging of bullfights, thereby returning the structure to its original use as a venue for public spectacles Another example is the imposing arena of Verona in northern Italy, with space for 30,000 spectators, which was built 60 years before the Aries amphitheatre and 40 years before Rome's famous Colosseum It has endured the centuries and is currently considered one of the world's prime sites for opera, thanks to its outstanding acoustics C The area in the centre of the Italian town of Lucca, known as the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, is yet another impressive example of an amphitheatre becoming absorbed into the fabric of the city The site evolved in a similar way to Aries and was progressively filled with buildings from the Middle Ages until the 19th century, variously used as houses, a salt depot and a prison But rather than reverting to an arena, it became a market square, designed by Romanticist architect Lorenzo Nottolini Today, the ruins of the amphitheatre remain embedded in the various shops and residences surrounding the public square D There are many similarities between modern stadiums and the ancient amphitheatres intended for games But some of the flexibility was lost at the beginning of the 20th century, as stadiums were developed using new products such as steel and reinforced concrete, and made use of bright lights for night-time matches Many such stadiums are situated in suburban areas, designed for sporting use only and surrounded by parking lots These factors mean that they may not be as accessible to the general public, require more energy to run and contribute to urban heat E But many of today's most innovative architects see scope for the stadium to help improve the city Among the current strategies, two seem to be having particular success: the stadium as an urban hub, and as a power plant mono-functional= having a single function arena= sports ground, stadium, pitch emblematic= symbolic, representative, characteristic capacity= volume, size, space spectator= viewer, watcher, observer versatile= flexible, adaptable, multipurpose fortress= a large, strong building or group of buildings that can be defended from attack interest= concern, attention, notice conservation= protection, preservation, maintenance convert= change, switch, alter staging= performance, presentation, production thereby= so, thus, in that way venue= site, location, setting spectacle= event, performance, display imposing= impressive, striking, magnificent endure= last, survive, persist prime= excellent, first-rate, top-notch outstanding= wonderful, excellent, exceptional acoustic= sound, audio, auditory absorb= incorporate, merge, integrate the fabric of= the structure or parts of something evolve= grow, progress, develop progressively= gradually, little by little, with time depot= storehouse, warehouse, storage area ruin= debris, wreckage, remains embed= incorporate, lodge, fix residence= a home intend= designate, aim, plan reinforced concrete= concrete that contains metal rods to make it stronger make use of= use, utilize, exploit accessible= available, nearby, easy to get to general public= population, citizens, ordinary people innovative= modern, novel, groundbreaking scope= opportunity, possibility, chance particular= specific, exact, certain hub= the central or main part of something where there is most activity power plant= a factory where electricity is produced 11 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 There's a growing trend for stadiums to be equipped with public spaces and services that serve a function beyond sport, such as hotels, retail outlets, conference centres, restaurants and bars, children's playgrounds and green space Creating mixed-use developments such as this reinforces compactness and multi-functionality, making more efficient use of land and helping to regenerate urban spaces This opens the space up to families and a wider crosssection of society, instead of catering only to sportspeople and supporters There have been many examples of this in the UK: the mixed-use facilities at Wembley and Old Trafford have become a blueprint for many other stadiums in the world F The phenomenon of stadiums as power stations has arisen from the idea that energy problems can be overcome by integrating interconnected buildings by means of a smart grid, which is an electricity supply network that uses digital communications technology to detect and react to local changes in usage, without significant energy losses Stadiums are ideal for these purposes, because their canopies have a large surface area for fitting photovoltaic panels and rise high enough (more than 40 metres) to make use of micro wind turbines Freiburg Mage Solar Stadium in Germany is the first of a new wave of stadiums as power plants, which also includes the Amsterdam Arena and the Kaohsiung Stadium The latter, inaugurated in 2009, has 8,844 photovoltaic panels producing up to 1.14 GWh of electricity annually This reduces the annual output of carbon dioxide by 660 tons and supplies up to 80 percent of the surrounding area when the stadium is not in use This is proof that a stadium can serve its city, and have a decidedly positive impact in terms of reduction of CO2 emissions G Sporting arenas have always been central to the life and culture of cities In every era, the stadium has acquired new value and uses: from military fortress to residential village, public space to theatre and most recently a field for experimentation in advanced engineering The stadium of today now brings together multiple functions, thus helping cities to create a sustainable future equip= provide, give, furnish retail outlet= a store that sells goods to the public conference= meeting, seminar, discussion reinforce= strengthen, bolster, support compactness= neatness, smallness, trimness regenerate= renew, redevelop, restart open sth up to= to make something available cross-section=representation, sample cater= serve, provide for, accommodate sportspeople= athlete, sports player supporter= fan, follower, enthusiast blueprint=prototype, example arise from= stem from, result from, develop out of integrate= mix, add, combine interconnected= connected, joined, interrelated by means of= by, via, using grid= network, net, web detect= discover, notice, identify usage= the way something is treated or used significant= large, big, sizable canopy= top, covering, roof photovoltaic= able to produce electricity from light panel= board, pane, sheet micro= very small turbine= a type of machine through which liquid or gas flows and turns a special wheel with blades in order to produce power wave= trend, tendency, movement inaugurate= install, launch, initiate in use= working, in operation, active proof= evidence, confirmation, facts decidedly= definitely, obviously, undoubtedly central= vital, essential, key era= period, time, age acquire= get, obtain, gain military= armed, soldierly, fighting residential= housing, inhabited, populated field= ground, arena, pitch experimentation= research, testing, investigation advanced= developed, superior, sophisticated bring together= combine, mix, gather sustainable= maintainable, supportable, defensible * amphitheatre: (especially in Greek and Roman architecture) an open circular or oval building with a central space surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators, for the presentation of dramatic or sporting events 12 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE Anna Keay reviews Charles Spencer’s book about the hunt for hunt= pursuit, search, chase King Charles II during the English Civil War of the seventeenth century Charles Spencer's latest book, To Catch a King, tells us the story of the hunt for King Charles II in the six weeks after his resounding defeat at the Battle of Worcester in September 1651 And what a story it is After his father was executed by the Parliamentarians in 1649, the young Charles II sacrificed one of the very principles his father had died for and did a deal with the Scots, thereby accepting Presbyterianism* as the national religion in return for being crowned King of Scots His arrival in Edinburgh prompted the English Parliamentary army to invade Scotland in a preemptive strike This was followed by a Scottish invasion of England The two sides finally faced one another at Worcester in the west of England in 1651 After being comprehensively defeated on the meadows outside the city by the Parliamentarian army, the 21-year-old king found himself the subject of a national resounding= very great defeat= loss, setback, reverse # victory execute= to kill someone as a legal punishment Parliamentarian= a supporter of Parliament in the English Civil War; a Roundhead sacrifice= give up, let go, lose principle= value, standard, norm deal= agreement, arrangement, transaction thereby= so, thus, in that way in return for= as an exchange for something crown= to make someone officially a king or queen of a country prompt= encourage, stimulate, provoke army= military, defense force, soldiers invade= attack, conquer, occupy pre-emptive strike= a surprise attack that is launched in order to prevent the enemy from doing it to you comprehensively= completely, totally meadow= field, grazing land, pasture 13 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE A Palm oil is an edible oil derived from the fruit of the edible= something that is edible can be eaten derive= get, obtain, receive African oil palm tree, and is currently the most consumed consume= use, utilize, eat vegetable oil in the world It's almost certainly in the soap certainly= surely, absolutely, definitely snack= to eat small amounts of food between main meals we wash with in the morning, the sandwich we have for manufacturer= producer, industrialist, company lunch, and the biscuits we snack on during the day Why is primarily= mainly, essentially, for the most part unique= rare, exclusive, exceptional palm oil so attractive for manufacturers? Primarily property= quality, characteristic because its unique properties- such as remaining solid at solid= hard, firm ideal= perfect, fitting, suitable room temperature - make it an ideal ingredient for longpreservation= maintenance, conservation, continuation term preservation, allowing many packaged foods on package= pack, wrap, bundle supermarket shelves to have 'best before' dates of months, even years, into the future B Many farmers have seized the opportunity to maximise the seize= capture, grab, grasp planting of oil palm trees Between 1990 and 2012, the devote= dedicate, give, offer account for= to form part of a total global land area devoted to growing oil palm trees grew from to 17 million hectares, now accounting for around mere= used to emphasize how small or unimportant something or someone is ten percent of total cropland in the entire world From a annually= yearly, once a year, every twelve months globally= internationally, worldwide, universally mere two million tonnes of palm oil being produced annually globally 50 years ago, there are now around 60 29 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 million tonnes produced every single year, a figure looking likely to double or even triple by the middle of the century C However, there are multiple reasons why conservationists cite the rapid spread of oil palm plantations as a major concern There are countless news stories of deforestation, habitat destruction and dwindling species populations, all as a direct result of land clearing to establish oil palm tree monoculture on an industrial scale, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia Endangered species - most famously the Sumatran orangutan, but also rhinos, elephants, tigers, and numerous other fauna - have suffered from the unstoppable spread of oil palm plantations D 'Palm oil is surely one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity,' declares Dr Farnon Ellwood of the University of the West of England, Bristol 'Palm oil is replacing rainforest, and rainforest is where all the species are That's a problem.' This has led to some radical questions among environmentalists, such as whether consumers should try to boycott palm oil entirely Meanwhile Bhavani Shankar, Professor at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, argues, 'It's easy to say that palm oil is the enemy and we should be against it It makes for a more dramatic story, and it's very intuitive But given the complexity of the argument, I think a much more nuanced story is closer to the truth.' E One response to the boycott movement has been the argument for the vital role palm oil plays in lifting many millions of people in the developing world out of poverty Is it desirable to have palm oil boycotted, replaced, eliminated from the global supply chain, given how many low-income people in developing countries depend on it for their livelihoods? How best to strike a utilitarian balance between these competing factors has become a serious bone of contention multiple= many, numerous, various conservationist= someone who works to protect animals, plants etc or to protect old buildings cite= quote, name, mention spread= expansion, development, increase plantation= farm, agricultural estate, cultivated area countless= uncountable, innumerable, immeasurable deforestation= the cutting or burning down of all the trees in an area habitat= home, environment, locale destruction= ruin, damage, devastation dwindling= declining, deteriorating, falling monoculture= the practice of growing only one crop or keeping only one type of animal on an area of farm land endangered= rare, threatened, vulnerable orangutan= a large ape with long arms and long orange-brown hair fauna= wildlife, creature, animal biodiversity= the variety of plants and animals in a particular place declare= state, announce, affirm rainforest= a tropical forest with tall trees that are very close together, growing in an area where it rains a lot radical= fundamental, essential, profound environmentalist= someone who is concerned about protecting the environment boycott= refuse, avoid, reject entirely= completely, totally, absolutely dramatic= spectacular, extraordinary, remarkable intuitive= instinctive, spontaneous, impulsive complexity= difficulty, intricacy, sophistication nuanced= made slightly different in appearance, meaning, sound, etc vital= fundamental, imperative, crucial poverty= the condition of being extremely poor eliminate= remove, eradicate, abolish supply chain= the system of getting a product from the place where it is made to the person who buys it livelihood= living, income, source of revenue strike= hit, reach, achieve utilitarian= useful, practical, down-to-earth competing= opposing, challenging, rival a bone of contention= something that two or more people argue about strongly over a long period of time F Even the deforestation argument isn't as straightforward as straightforward= upfront, uncomplicated, direct it seems Oil palm plantations produce at least four and potentially= possibly, theoretically, hypothetically potentially up to ten times more oil per hectare than immensely= hugely, enormously, massively soybean, rapeseed, sunflower or other competing oils That yield= production, harvest immensely high yield - which is predominantly what makes predominantly= mainly, principally, primarily it so profitable - is potentially also an ecological benefit If ten ecological= environmental, biological, natural patch= area, spot, piece times more palm oil can be produced from a patch of land volume= size, capacity, quantity than any competing oil, then ten times more land would need competitor= rival, contestant, opponent to be cleared in order to produce the same volume of oil from that competitor As for the question of carbon emissions, the issue really depends on what oil palm trees are replacing Crops vary in emission= release, discharge, emanation 30 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 the degree to which they sequester carbon - in other words, the amount of carbon they capture from the atmosphere and store within the plant The more carbon a plant sequesters, the more it reduces the effect of climate change As Shankar explains: ' [Palm oil production] actually sequesters more carbon in some ways than other alternatives [ ] Of course, if you're cutting down virgin forest it's terrible - that's what's happening in Indonesia and Malaysia; it's been allowed to get out of hand But if it's replacing rice, for example, it might actually sequester more carbon.' G The industry is now regulated by a group called the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), consisting of palm growers, retailers, product manufacturers, and other interested parties Over the past decade or so, an agreement has gradually been reached regarding standards that producers of palm oil have to meet in order for their product to be regarded as officially ' sustainable' The RSPO insists upon no virgin forest clearing, transparency and regular assessment of carbon stocks, among other criteria Only once these requirements are fully satisfied is the oil allowed to be sold as certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) Recent figures show that the RSPO now certifies around 12 million tonnes of palm oil annually, equivalent to roughly 21 percent of the world's total palm oil production H There is even hope that oil palm plantations might not need to be such sterile monocultures, or ' green deserts', as Ellwood describes them New research at Ellwood's lab hints at one plant which might make all the difference The bird's nest fern (Asplenium nidus) grows on trees in an epiphytic fashion (meaning it's dependent on the tree only for support, not for nutrients), and is native to many tropical regions, where as a keystone species it performs a vital ecological role Ellwood believes that reintroducing the bird's nest fern into oil palm plantations could potentially allow these areas to recover their biodiversity, providing a home for all manner of species, from fungi and bacteria, to invertebrates such as insects, amphibians, reptiles and even mammals sequester= to separate and store a harmful substance alternative= replacement, substitute, another possibility virgin forest= A virgin forest or area of land has not yet been cultivated or used by people out of hand= uncontrollable, out of control, unmanageable regulate= control, adjust, standardize party= participant, organization, contributor agreement= contract, settlement, deal gradually= progressively, steadily, regularly sustainable= maintainable, supportable, viable insist= require, demand, enforce transparency= honesty, without secret assessment= valuation, calculation, judgement criterion= standard, principle, condition certified= qualified, licensed, official equivalent= corresponding, comparable, equal roughly= approximately, about, around sterile= lacking diversity hint= suggest, refer to, mention bird's nest fern= a green plant with long stems, leaves like feathers, and no flowers epiphytic= relating to a plant that grows on another plant but does not feed from it fashion= method, technique nutrient= a chemical or food that provides what is needed for plants or animals to live and grow keystone= foundation, base, cornerstone biodiversity= the number and types of plants and animals that exist in a particular area manner= type, kind, sort fungi= mushroom, molds, toadstool invertebrate= a living creature that does not have a backbone amphibian= an animal such as a frog that can live both on land and in water reptile= a type of animal whose body temperature changes according to the temperature around it mammal= a type of animal that drinks milk from its mother’s body when it is young 31 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE Katharine L Shester reviews a book by Jason Barr about the development of New York City In Building the Skyline, Jason Barr takes the reader through a detailed history of New York City The book combines geology, history, economics, and a lot of data to explain why business clusters developed where they did and how the early decisions of workers and firms shaped the skyline we see today Building the Skyline is organized into two distinct parts The first is primarily historical and addresses New York's settlement and growth from 1609 to 1900; the second deals primarily with the 20th century and is a compilation of chapters commenting on different aspects of New York's urban development The tone and organization of the book change somewhat between the first and second parts, as the latter chapters incorporate aspects of Barr's related research papers Barr begins chapter one by taking the reader on a 'helicopter time-machine’ ride - giving a fascinating account of how the New York landscape in 1609 might have looked from the sky He then moves on to a subterranean walking tour of the city, detailed= thorough, comprehensive, meticulous cluster= bunch, group, collection skyline= horizon, distance, prospect distinct= separate, different, distinctive primarily= chiefly, mainly, principally compilation= collection, gathering, assembling urban= city, metropolitan, rural tone= style, spirit somewhat= slightly, fairly, to some extent latter= second, later, last incorporate= merge, include, integrate paper= document, record, manuscript fascinating= captivating, charming, intriguing account= description, explanation, justification landscape= scenery, setting, background subterranean= under the ground 32 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 indicating the location of rock and water below the subsoil, before taking the reader back to the surface His love of the city comes through as he describes various fun facts about the location of the New York residence of early 19th-century vicepresident Aaron Burr as well as a number of legends about the city subsoil= the layer of soil that is under the surface level various= numerous, diverse, assorted residence= a home legend= fairytale, folklore, folk tale Chapters two and three take the reader up to the Civil War (1861- 1865), with chapter two focusing on the early development of land and the implementation of a grid system in 1811 Chapter three focuses on land use before the Civil War Both chapters are informative and well-researched and set the stage for the economic analysis that comes later in the book I would have liked Barr to expand upon his claim that existing tenements* prevented skyscrapers in certain neighborhoods because 'likely no skyscraper developer was interested in performing the necessary "slum clearance"' Later in the book, Barr makes the claim that the depth of bedrock** was not a limiting factor for developers, as foundation costs were a small fraction of the cost of development At first glance, it is not obvious why slum clearance would be limiting, while more expensive foundations would not implementation= installation employment, putting into practice grid= a system of wires through which electricity is connected to different power stations informative= providing a lot of useful information set the stage for= to make it possible for something else to happen tenement= a large building divided into apartments, usually in a poor area of a city skyscraper= tower, multistory building, high-rise building slum= a house or an area of a city that is in very bad condition, where very poor people live clearance= removal, erasure foundation= groundwork, base, ground fraction= portion, segment, part glance= look, glimpse, Chapter four focuses on immigration and the location of neighborhoods and tenements in the late 19th century Barr identifies four primary immigrant enclaves and analyzes their locations in terms of the amenities available in the area Most of these enclaves were located on the least valuable land, between the industries located on the waterfront and the wealthy neighborhoods bordering Central Park Part two of the book begins with a discussion of the economics of skyscraper height In chapter five, Barr distinguishes between engineering height, economic height, and developer height where engineering height is the tallest building that can be safely made at a given time, economic height is the height that is most efficient from society's point of view, and developer height is the actual height chosen by the developer, who is attempting to maximize return on investment Chapter five also has an interesting discussion of the technological advances that led to the construction of skyscrapers For example, the introduction of iron and steel skeletal frames made thick, load-bearing walls unnecessary, expanding the usable square footage of buildings and increasing the use of windows and availability of natural light Chapter six then presents data on building height throughout the 20th century and uses regression analysis to 'predict' building construction While less technical than the research paper on which the chapter is based, it is probably more technical than would be preferred by a general audience immigration= migration, arrival, entry immigrant= settler, migrant, refugee enclave= area, territory, community amenity= facility, convenience, comfort valuable= appreciated, precious, valued waterfront= seaside, waterside, beachfront wealthy= rich, affluent, prosperous border= be next to, run alongside, be adjacent to distinguish= analyze, differentiate, discriminate engineering= the work involved in designing and building roads, bridges, machines etc efficient= effective, proficient, economical attempt= try, make an effort, endeavor maximize= boost, increase, expand return on investment = the profit from an activity compared with the amount invested in it advance= development, improvement, breakthrough construction= creation, manufacture, composition skeletal= of or like a frame of bones load-bearing= supporting the weight of the building above it square footage= an area measured in feet availability= readiness, obtainability, abundance throughout= during, the whole time regression analysis= a method in statistics that compares the way two or more related sets of numbers have changed over a particular period technical= practical, mechanical, methodological probably= perhaps, maybe, possibly audience= viewers, watchers, spectators 33 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 Chapter seven tackles the 'bedrock myth', the assumption that the absence of bedrock close to the surface between Downtown and Midtown New York is the reason for skyscrapers not being built between the two urban centers Rather, Barr argues that while deeper bedrock does increase foundation costs, these costs were neither prohibitively high nor were they large compared to the overall cost of building a skyscraper What I enjoyed the most about this chapter was Barr's discussion of how foundations are actually built He describes the use of caissons, which enable workers to dig down for considerable distances, often below the water table, until they reach bedrock Barr's thorough technological history discusses not only how caissons work, but also the dangers involved While this chapter references empirical research papers, it is a relatively easy read Chapters eight and nine focus on the birth of Midtown and the building boom of the 1920s Chapter eight contains lengthy discussions of urban economic theory that may serve as a distraction to readers primarily interested in New York However, they would be well-suited for undergraduates learning about the economics of cities In the next chapter, Barr considers two of the primary explanations for the building boom of the 1920s -the first being exuberance, and the second being financing He uses data to assess the viability of these two explanations and finds that supply and demand factors explain much of the development of the 1920s; though it enabled the boom, cheap credit was not, he argues, the primary cause In the final chapter (chapter 10), Barr discusses another of his empirical papers that estimates Manhattan land values from the mid-19th century to the present day The data work that went into these estimations is particularly impressive Toward the end of the chapter, Barr assesses 'whether skyscrapers are a cause or an effect of high land values He finds that changes in land values predict future building height, but the reverse is not true The book ends with an epilogue, in which Barr discusses the impact of climate change on the city and makes policy suggestions for New York going forward tackle= solve, stop, confront myth= falsehood, untruth, fiction assumption= supposition, hypothesis, statement absence= lack, nonexistence, deficiency bedrock= foundation, base prohibitively= excessively, exorbitantly, expensively caisson= a structure that goes under water or underground and keeps water out, used in building dig= to form a hole by moving soil water table= the level below the surface of the ground at which you start to find water reference= link to, quote empirical= experiential, observed, practical relatively= comparatively, moderately, fairly boom= explosion, escalation, surge lengthy= long, extensive, long-lasting undergraduate= a student at college or university, who is working for their first-degree exuberance= lavishness viability= feasibility, practicality, capability credit =a method of paying for goods or services at a later time empirical= using experience estimate= assess, guess, value impressive= striking, remarkable, notable predict= forecast, foresee, expect reverse= opposite, contrary, opposite epilogue= a speech or piece of text that is added to the end of a play or book suggestion= hint, proposal, implication forward= ahead, further, progress 34 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE How Madagascar's bats are helping to save the rainforest There are few places in the world where relations between agriculture and conservation are more strained Madagascar's forests are being converted to agricultural land at a rate of one percent every year Much of this destruction is fuelled by the cultivation of the country's main staple crop: rice And a key reason for this destruction is that insect pests are destroying vast quantities of what is grown by local subsistence farmers, leading them to clear forest to create new paddy fields The result is devastating habitat and biodiversity loss on the island, but not all species are suffering In fact, some of the island's insectivorous bats are currently thriving and this has important implications for farmers and conservationists alike Enter University of Cambridge zoologist Ricardo Rocha He's passionate about conservation, and bats More specifically, he's interested in how bats are responding to human activity and deforestation in particular Rocha's new study shows that several species of bats are giving Madagascar's rice farmers a vital pest control service by feasting on plagues of insects And this, he rainforest= a tropical forest with tall trees that are very close together, growing in an area where it rains a lot conservation= protection, saving, preservation strained= stressed, tense, anxious convert= change, switch, move destruction= ruin, damage, demolition fuel= stimulate, energize, promote cultivation= farming, agriculture, gardening staple= basic, core, prime key= crucial, significant, important pest= insect, bug, vermin vast= huge, massive, enormous subsistence= existence, maintenance, sustenance paddy= a field in which rice is grown in water devastating= overwhelming, shocking, upsetting biodiversity= the variety of plants and animals in a particular place insectivore = a creature that eats insects for food thriving= blooming, increasing implication= suggestion , insinuation, consequence conservationist= ecologist, environmentalist, preservationist passionate= obsessive, enthusiastic deforestation= the cutting or burning down of all the trees in an area feast= eat, devour, indulge a plague of= a large number of things that are unpleasant or likely to cause damage 35 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 believes, can ease the financial pressure on farmers to turn forest into fields Bats comprise roughly one-fifth of all mammal species in Madagascar and thirty-six recorded bat species are native to the island, making it one of the most important regions for conservation of this animal group anywhere in the world Co-leading an international team of scientists, Rocha found that several species of indigenous bats are taking advantage of habitat modification to hunt insects swarming above the country's rice fields They include the Malagasy mouse-eared bat, Major's long-fingered bat, the Malagasy white-bellied free-tailed bat, and Peters' wrinkle-lipped bat 'These winner species are providing a valuable free service to Madagascar as biological pest suppressors,' says Rocha 'We found that six species of bat are preying on rice pests, including the paddy swarming caterpillar and grass webworm The damage which these insects cause puts the island's farmers under huge financial pressure and that encourages deforestation.' ease= relieve, reduce, lessen comprise= to be the parts of something; to make up something mammal= any animal of which the female feeds her young on milk from her own body native= local, indigenous, domestic indigenous= local, innate, natural take advantage of= make the most of, exploit, make use of modification= alteration, change, adjustment swarm= crowd, mass, flock valuable= useful, precious, beneficial suppressor= a thing or person that prevents something bad from happening prey on= hunt, catch paddy= a field in which rice is grown in water swarm= crowd, mass, flock caterpillar= a small creature like a worm with many legs that eats leaves and that develops into a butterfly or other flying insect webworm= a caterpillar which spins a web in which to rest or feed The study, now published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, set out to investigate the feeding activity of insectivorous bats in the farmland bordering the Ranomafana National Park in the southeast of the country journal= a serious magazine or newspaper that is published regularly about a particular subject set out= to start an activity with a particular aim investigate= examine, explore, study insectivorous= eating only insects Rocha and his team used state-of-the-art ultrasonic recorders to record over a thousand bat 'feeding buzzes' (echolocation used by bats to target their prey) at 54 sites, in order to identify the favourite feeding spots of the bats They next used DNA barcoding techniques to analyse droppings collected from bats at the different sites state-of-the-art= advanced, high-tech, up-to-the-minute ultrasonic= ultrasonic sound waves are too high for humans to hear echolocation= a process in which animals, find their way in the dark by producing sound waves that echo when they are reflected off an object target= pursue, seek out, be after The recordings revealed that bat activity over rice fields was much higher than it was in continuous forest - seven times higher over rice fields which were on flat ground, and sixteen times higher over fields on the sides of hills - leaving no doubt that the animals are preferentially foraging in these man-made ecosystems The researchers suggest that the bats favour these fields because lack of water and nutrient run-off make these crops more susceptible to insect pest infestations DNA analysis showed that all six species of bat had fed on economically important insect pests While the findings indicated that rice farming benefits most from the bats, the scientists also found indications that the bats were consuming pests of other crops, including the black twig borer (which infests coffee plants), the sugarcane cicada, the macadamia nut-borer, and the sober tabby (a pest of citrus fruits) 'The effectiveness of bats as pest controllers has already been proven in the USA and Catalonia,' said co-author James Kemp, from the University of Lisbon 'But our study is the first to show reveal= disclose, unveil, uncover preferentially= especially, specifically, favorably forage= search for food man-made= artificial, synthetic # natural pest= bug, insect run-off= rain or other liquid that flows off the land into rivers susceptible= vulnerable, prone to, at risk infestation= a large number of animals and insects that carry disease twig borer= any of several beetles, beetle larvae that bore into the twigs infest= to cause a problem by being present in large numbers sugarcane= a tall tropical plant from whose stems sugar is obtained cicada= an insect that lives in hot countries, has large transparent wings, and makes a high singing noise effectiveness= efficiency, success, achievement 36 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 this happening in Madagascar, where the stakes for both farmers and conservationists are so high.' stake= investment, claim, share Local people may have a further reason to be grateful to their bats While the animal is often associated with spreading disease, Rocha and his team found evidence that Malagasy bats feed not just on crop pests but also on mosquitoes - carriers of malaria, Rift Valley fever virus and elephantiasis - as well as blackflies, which spread river blindness mosquito= a small flying insect that sucks the blood of people and animals carrier= a person or thing that carries something fever= an illness or a medical condition in which you have a very high temperature river blindness= disease that affects the skin and eyes Rocha points out that the relationship is complicated When food is scarce, bats become a crucial source of protein for local people Even the children will hunt them And as well as roosting in trees, the bats sometimes roost in buildings, but are not welcomed there because they make them unclean At the same time, however, they are associated with sacred caves and the ancestors, so they can be viewed as beings between worlds, which makes them very significant in the culture of the people And one potential problem is that while these bats are benefiting from farming, at the same time deforestation is reducing the places where they can roost, which could have long-term effects on their numbers Rocha says, ' With the right help, we hope that farmers can promote this mutually beneficial relationship by installing bat houses.' point out= show, indicate, mention scare= if something is scarce, there is not very much of it available roost= settle, rest, sleep associate with= relate to, connect with, link to sacred= considered to be holy and deserving respect, especially because of a connection with a god ancestor= forebear, antecedent, predecessor significant= important, noteworthy, remarkable potential= possible, probable mutually= jointly, equally, commonly Rocha and his colleagues believe that maximising bat populations can help to boost crop yields and promote sustainable livelihoods The team is now calling for further research to quantify this contribution 'I'm very optimistic,' says Rocha 'If we give nature a hand, we can speed up the process of regeneration.' colleague= coworker, associate, collaborator yield= the amount of profits, crops etc that something produces sustainable= maintainable, supportable, bearable livelihood= living, source of revenue, income quantify= calculate, compute, measure give sb a hand= help, support, aid regeneration= renewal, rebirth, redevelopment 37 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE O A ver the last decade, a huge database about the lives of southwest German villagers between 1600 and 1900 has been compiled by a team led by Professor Sheilagh Ogilvie at Cambridge University's Faculty of Economics It includes court records, guild ledgers, parish registers, village censuses, tax lists, and - the most recent addition - 9,000 handwritten inventories listing over a million personal possessions belonging to ordinary women and men across three centuries Ogilvie, who discovered the inventories in the archives of two German communities 30 years ago, believes they may hold the answer to a conundrum that has long puzzled economists: the lack of evidence for a causal link between education and a country's economic growth B B As Ogilvie explains, ' Education helps us to work more productively, invent better technology, and earn more surely it must be critical for economic growth? But, if you look back through history, there's no evidence that having a high literacy rate made a country industrialize earlier.' Between 1600 and database= databank, folder, file compile= collect, accumulate, compose court= law court, court of law guild= association, union ledger= journal, book, record parish= church register= an official list of names of people, companies etc, or a book that has this list census= an official process of counting and finding out about the people handwritten= written by hand, not printed inventory= list, record, account possession= property, belongings ordinary= normal, common, usual archive= a place where a large number of historical records are stored conundrum= mystery, puzzle, challenge puzzle= confuse, bewilder, baffle causal link= a link between two things in which one causes the other productively= effectively, successfully invent= create, discover, formulate critical= significant, important, vital literacy= reading ability, knowledge, learning industrialise= if a country or area industrializes, it develops a lot of industry for the first time 38 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 1900, England had only mediocre literacy rates by European standards, yet its economy grew fast and it was the first country to industrialize During this period, Germany and Scandinavia had excellent literacy rates, but their economies grew slowly and they industrialized late 'Modern cross-country analyses have also struggled to find evidence that education causes economic growth, even though there is plenty of evidence that growth increases education,' she adds C C In the handwritten inventories that Ogilvie is analysing are the belongings of women and men at marriage, remarriage and death From badger skins to Bibles, sewing machines to scarlet bodices - the villagers' entire worldly goods are included Inventories of agricultural equipment and craft tools reveal economic activities; ownership of books and education related objects like pens and slates suggests how people learned In addition, the tax lists included in the database record the value of farms, workshops, assets and debts; signatures and people's estimates of their age indicate literacy and numeracy levels; and court records reveal obstacles (such as the activities of the guilds*) that stifled industry Previous studies usually had just one way of linking education with economic growth - the presence of schools and printing presses, perhaps, or school enrolment, or the ability to sign names According to Ogilvie, the database provides multiple indicators for the same individuals, making it possible to analyse links between literacy, numeracy, wealth, and industriousness, for individual women and men over the long term D D Ogilvie and her team have been building a vast database of material possessions on top of their full demographic reconstruction of the people who lived in these two German communities 'We can follow the same people - and their descendants - across 300 years of educational and economic change,' she says Individual lives have unfolded before their eyes Stories like that of the 24-year-olds Ana Regina and Magdalena Riethmiillerin, who were chastised in 1707 for reading books in church instead of listening to the sermon 'This tells us they were continuing to develop their reading skills at least a decade after leaving school,' explains Ogilvie The database also reveals the case of Juliana Schweickherdt, a 50-year-old spinster living in the small Black Forest community of Wildberg, who was reprimanded in 1752 by the local weavers' guild for ' weaving cloth and combing wool, counter to the guild ordinance' When Juliana continued taking jobs reserved for male guild members, she was summoned before the guild court and told to pay a fine equivalent to one-third of a servant's annual wage It was a small act of defiance by today's standards, but it reflects a time when mediocre= middling, average, unexceptional industrialise= if a country or area industrializes, it develops a lot of industry for the first time belongings= possession, propertie sewing= embroidery, stitching badger= an animal that has black and white fur, lives in holes in the ground scarlet= bright red bodice= the upper part of a woman's dress worldly= relating to physical things and ordinary life asset= possession, property, holding signature= name, mark, autograph guild= an organization of people who the same job or have the same interests slate= in the past, a small, thin, rectangular piece of rock, usually in a wooden frame, used for writing on stifle= stop, prevent, hamper printing press= an old printing machine indicator= marker, guide, pointer industriousness= hard work, diligence, productiveness vast= great, massive, enormous demographic= relating to the population and groups of people in it reconstruction= model, recreation descendant= child, inheritor, offspring sermon= talk, lecture, lesson unfold= If a situation or story unfolds, it becomes clear to other people chastise= penalize, scold, punish spinster= an unmarried woman, usually one who is no longer young and seems unlikely to marry reprimand= tell off, scold, rebuke counter= dispute, argue against, oppose ordinance= order, rule, regulation summon= to order someone to come to or be present at a particular place equivalent= the same as, equal, corresponding servant= a person who is employed in another person's house, doing housework, especially in the past defiance= disobedience, insolence, rebelliousness reflect= reveal, expose, display 39 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 laws in Germany and elsewhere regulated people's access to labour markets The dominance of guilds not only prevented people from using their skills, but also held back even the simplest industrial innovation regulate= control, adjust, order dominance= supremacy, power, preeminence held back= to stop someone or something developing or doing as well as they should E E The data-gathering phase of the project has been completed and now, according to Ogilvie, it is time ' to ask the big questions' One way to look at whether education causes economic growth is to ' hold wealth constant' This involves following the lives of different people with the same level of wealth over a period of time If wealth is constant, it is possible to discover whether education was, for example, linked to the cultivation of new crops, or to the adoption of industrial innovations like sewing machines The team will also ask what aspect of education helped people engage more with productive and innovative activities Was it, for instance, literacy, numeracy, book ownership, years of schooling? Was there a threshold level - a tipping point - that needed to be reached to affect economic performance? phase= stage, time, period constant= steady, stable, invariable cultivation= farming, agricultural, gardening adoption= acceptance, implementation, application threshold= line, limit, base tipping point= the time at which a change or an effect cannot be stopped F F Ogilvie hopes to start finding answers to these questions over the next few years One thing is already clear, she says: the relationship between education and economic growth is far from straightforward 'German-speaking central Europe is an excellent laboratory for testing theories of economic growth,' she explains Between 1600 and 1900, literacy rates and book ownership were high and yet the region remained poor It was also the case that local guilds and merchant associations were extremely powerful and legislated against anything that undermined their monopolies In villages throughout the region, guilds blocked labour migration and resisted changes that might reduce their influence straightforward= simple, clear-cut, uncomplicated merchant= wholesaler, dealer, trader association= union, organization, group legislate= If a government legislates, it makes a new law undermine= weaken, destabilize, threaten monopoly= domination, supremacy, authority block= prevent, stop, deter migration= relocation, passage, movement resist= fight, battle, struggle Early findings suggest that the potential benefits of education for the economy can be held back by other barriers, and this has implications for today,' says Ogilvie.' Huge amounts are spent improving education in developing countries, but this spending can fail to deliver economic growth if restrictions block people especially women and the poor - from using their education in economically productive ways If economic institutions are poorly set up, for instance, education can't lead to growth.' barrier= blockade, obstacle, difficulty deliver= to achieve or produce something that has been promised restriction= limit, border, margin poorly= badly, inadequately 40 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 TEST READING PASSAGE N A ext month, a chess player named Timur Gareyev will take on nearly 50 opponents at once But that is not the hard part While his challengers will play the games as normal, Gareyev himself will be blindfolded Even by world record standards, it sets a high bar for human performance The 28-year-old already stands out in the rarefied world of blindfold chess He has a fondness for bright clothes and unusual hairstyles, and he gets his kicks from the adventure sport of BASE jumping He has already proved himself a strong chess player, too In a 10-hour chess marathon in 2013, Gareyev played 33 games in his head simultaneously He won 29 and lost none The skill has become his brand: he calls himself the Blindfold King B But Gareyev's prowess has drawn interest from beyond the chess-playing community In the hope of understanding how he and others like him can perform such mental feats, researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) called him in for tests They now have their first results 'The ability to play a game of chess with your eyes closed is not a far reach for most accomplished players,' said Jesse Rissman, who runs a memory blindfold= a piece of cloth that covers someone’s eyes to prevent them from seeing anything take on= to compete against opponent= competitor, enemy, rival challenger= contestant, competitor, antagonist blindfold= to cover someone’s eyes with a piece of cloth set a high bar for= to set a high standard for something stand out= be noticeable, be prominent, catch the eye rarefied= different, exclusive fondness= liking, affection, love kick= pleasure, excitement, thrill BASE jumping= the sport of jumping from a high building, bridge, etc with a parachute simultaneously= at once, concurrently, at the same time prowess= skill, ability, talent feat= something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, courage, etc to achieve it reach= the limit within which someone can achieve something accomplished= talented, skillful, proficient, run= manage, operate, function 41 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 lab at UCLA 'But the thing that's so remarkable about Timur and a few other individuals is the number of games they can keep active at once To me it is simply astonishing.' remarkable= extraordinary, amazing, outstanding astonishing= surprising, astounding, beyond belief C Gareyev learned to play chess in his native Uzbekistan when he was six years old Tutored by his grandfather, he entered his first tournament aged eight and soon became obsessed with competitions At 16, he was crowned Asia's youngest ever chess grandmaster He moved to the US soon after, and as a student helped his university win its first national chess championship In 2013, Gareyev was ranked the third best chess player in the US native= home, country tournament= game, contest, competition obsess with= fascinate, possess, preoccupy grand master= a chess player of a very high standard championship= competition, tournament, contest rank= rate, categorize D To the uninitiated, blindfold chess seems to call for superhuman skill But displays of the feat go back centuries The first recorded game in Europe was played in 13th-century Florence In 1947, the Argentinian grandmaster Miguel Najdorf played 45 simultaneous games in his mind, winning 39 in the 24hour session E Accomplished players can develop the skill of playing blind even without realising it The nature of the game is to run through possible moves in the mind to see how they play out From this, regular players develop a memory for the patterns the pieces make, the defences and attacks 'You recreate it in your mind,' said Gareyev 'A lot of players are capable of doing what I'm doing.' The real mental challenge comes from playing multiple games at once in the head Not only must the positions of each piece on every board be memorised, they must be recalled faithfully when needed, updated with each player's moves, and then reliably stored again, so the brain can move on to the next board First moves can be tough to remember because they are fairly uninteresting But the ends of games are taxing too, as exhaustion sets in When Gareyev is tired, his recall can get patchy He sometimes makes moves based on only a fragmented memory of the pieces' positions F The scientists first had Gareyev perform some standard memory tests These assessed his ability to hold numbers, pictures and words in mind One classic test measures how many numbers a person can repeat, both forwards and backwards, soon after hearing them Most people manage about seven 'He was not exceptional on any of these standard tests,' said Rissman 'We didn't find anything other than playing chess that he seems to be supremely gifted at.' But next came the brain scans With Gareyev lying down in the machine, Rissman looked at how well connected the various regions of the chess player's brain were Though the results are tentative and as yet unpublished, the scans found much greater than average communication between uninitiated= amateur, nonprofessional, inexperienced call for= need, require, necessitate superhuman= prodigious, extraordinary, phenomenal go back= begin, start, originate accomplished= talented, skillful, gifted move= a change of the position of one of the pieces used to play the game defence= the act of protecting something or someone from attack capable= proficient, skilled, able mental= psychological, intellectual, emotional multiple= many, numerous, several memorise= to learn words, music etc so that you know them perfectly faithfully= accurately, precisely, believably reliably= dependably, consistently, consistently taxing= exhausting, draining, tiring set in= appear, emerge, crop up patchy= If information is patchy, only small parts of it are known fragmented= disorganized, frazzled assess= evaluate, measure, judge manage= achieve, accomplish, succeed exceptional= excellent, outstanding, brilliant supremely= extremely, completely, enormously gifted= talented, skilled, exceptional tentative= hesitant, cautious, uncertain 42 lOMoARcPSD|18352979 BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY – CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 parts of Gareyev's brain that make up what is called the frontoparietal control network Of 63 people scanned alongside the chess player, only one or two scored more highly on the measure 'You use this network in almost any complex task It helps you to allocate attention, keep rules in mind, and work out whether you should be responding or not,' said Rissman frontoparietal= involving both frontal and parietal bones of the skull complex= compound, multifaceted G It was not the only hint of something special in Gareyev's brain The scans also suggest that Gareyev's visual network is more highly connected to other brain parts than usual Initial results suggest that the areas of his brain that process visual images - such as chess boards - may have stronger links to other brain regions, and so be more powerful than normal While the analyses are not finalised yet, they may hold the first clues to Gareyev's extraordinary ability hint= clue, suggestion, indication allocate= distribute, assign, appoint work out= to find the answer to something by thinking about it visual= graphic, pictorial, filmic Initial= early, primary, premature region= area, zone, section clue= sign, hint, evidence extraordinary= odd, exceptional, remarkable H For the world record attempt, Gareyev hopes to play 47 title= a word that is used before someone's name, blindfold games at once in about 16 hours He will need to win stating their social rank, qualifications, etc 80% to claim the title 'I don't worry too much about the winning percentage; that's never been an issue for me,' he said 'The most dedicate= contribute, commit, devote important part of blindfold chess for me is that I have found the one thing that I can fully dedicate myself to I miss having an obsession.' 43